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Author
Topic: Why are black people in the US believe in the white christian God? (Read 23150 times)

I said "in the US". Why? Because I believe this is a US behavior and it includes people that identify themselves as African American and black people. I don't want this thread to be about African American vs Black, that's another thread..

I must miss something, but I do not understand why black people, in 2007, are for the most majority, celebrating God, as understood from the white christian people's faith.

I cannot understand how, people that have been subject to so much humiliation by the white people, follow the white people's God. This is unique to the United States. In Europe, and I think in other countries, correct me if I'm wrong, no black person that was submitted to such humiliation worships the white person's God.

I've looked around for an explanation, but I have not seen any discussion about this. Am I asking the wrong question? Is there something I'm missing?

I'd like this discussion to be open and not become a racial or faith story. This is a subject that has seriously interested me for many years.

maybe you might reconsider the way you asked the question? Those are some big generalizations you have made. Who are you asking? Who is they? I understand you don't want this to be an issue of race or faith, but you already have. Do you know any history behind the origins of "christianity" and its spread and blending with other religions and cultures?

Let me be clear. I do not question the faith. I question the fact that the faith is towards a christian God, given the burdens and suffering they have been through.

Milker.

I think it was exactly because of all the burdens and suffering they went through. When they were treated so poorly, they were looking for anything that would offer them a way out of that life. Christianity told them that if they believed in Christ as their Savior, then He would deliver them from their terrible life. And their faith told them that it may not happen now, but even if they had to wait until they died, that one day their suffering would be over and a better life would be waiting for them. Faith in whatever God you choose to believe in has a way of helping you through troubled times, and that's what slaves needed at the time.

As a choir nerd, I sing spirituals that were born out of that era. The majority of the songs are about deliverance, redemption, the afterlife being better than this one, etc. The Christian faith offered them hope when they had none; the fact that it came from their oppressors eventually didn't matter.

As a believer, my viewpoint is probably somewhat skewed, but I agree that it is an interesting subject.

And as others have said, Christianity started in a part of the world where the people definitely were not white. To think that Jesus was white is just silly to me...even as a Christian I hate seeing all the portraits of him as a smiling white guy with all these perfect little white children around him. But where that came from is probably another thread entirely...

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The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel...---Shakespeare

Good question. I wish I had an answer for you. I don't follow the Christian faith but I agree with those who said that from the area in which Jesus was raised, there is no way he could've been white. I think the Bible said something along the lines of his skin being bronze and hair like wool or something to that effect. I don't know any white person like that.

Wow I never thought I would see a posting like this. I'm wondering what brought this question about. Anyway I agree with GSO response

"The black people I know are very devote Christians and I don't think they perceive Christianity to be a "white" religion in any way. Jesus Christ probably had dark skin anyway."

The problem is that whomever is the dominating culture changes the images of Jesus. Jesus was obviously much darker than what is potrayed just like many of the images of Egyptians we see in movies don't potray authentic dark Egyptians. . In my opinion African Americans are still christians because they truly believe what the bible teaches , love your neighbor as yourself, forgiveness, etc. All great qualities if applied by humans. I think what blacks look at when being a christian is the good qualities Jesus potrayed. They aren't worshiping a white God. Actually in some African American households they have a picture of Jesus as a black man. But all that aside it is the message that African Americans believe in.

Then again asking that question is like asking why do some white people get collagen in their lips to make them fuller, butt implants,tan their skin, and perm their hair (features attributed to blacks) when some of them don't like blacks. And why do some blacks straighten their hair and have cosmetic surgery when some of them don't like white people.

I have to wonder sometimes what we would talk about if all of us looked exactly alike. Some days I wish it would happen. Just make every human a bright green color, the exact same height, eye color, hair, same language etc.

Jesus definitely had dark skin. He was at least as brown as the Prophet Muhammad. He was a semite from Bethlehem, people who aren't exactly known for their nordic pigmentation and bone structure. What I don't get is why Black americans would abandon their "slave" names to take up a muslim name? Muslims enslaved Africans and stripped them of their respective religions just as the White christians did... At the end of the day religion is a fat crock of shit, a tool used to prey upon the weak. Why can't people just believe in themselves?

welllll, Americans seem to be the only ones who think Christianity is a white religion. I mean my jesus looks like Mel Gibson in Braveheart, but I know he was black...as were many of the early Christian "fathers" of the faith, and mothers. American's have done a beautiful job with allowing "free church " traditions which have no touchstone of orthodoxy and have inculcated a notion of the blue eyed, light hair, light skin Jesus. I read this week that geneticists now believe all blue eyed people have one common past ancestor...hmmmm...so what does that say about the blue eyed Jesus...the whole skin tone litmus test is American to the core...and the religious aspects are related to slavery and being taken to church and actually seeing there might be some truth there in spite of all the other BS.

In Europe, and I think in other countries, correct me if I'm wrong, no black person that was submitted to such humiliation worships the white person's God.

You certainly are wrong Milker. Christianity, spread by missionaries, continues to be one of the fastest growing religions on the continent of Africa. They worship the same God in Kenyatta that they do in Mobile and the same bible that condoned slavery. Go figure. Don't forget Christianity was spread to the new world via Europe. Course you might want to ask why homosexuals would worship this same bible?

I think an HIV forum might not be your best venue in trying to seek an answer. The answer you will always get is that it is a matter of faith that defies logic. Try arguing evolution with a creationist.

Those who have faith believe,those who dont dont.. Color is of no matter,except to media and racists who want to keep blacks on the their political plantation(clintons and dems). Most believers do not care what color God is or even consider it. God is God. Geez!Artists throughout the ages have depicted God and Jesus as white,but that is just because the artist is white. Who gives a fuck? No one that I know,except the media.

First of all, trying to convey what I want to say in a forum title is not the easiest, so I appreciate that the responses were not some rant about religion or racism. Why did I ask there? Because I looked for the answer for a long time, and couldn't find a forum where this was discussed seriously. I know there are people from all races, genders, and faiths on here, so I thought, well why not ask here!

Although this question has been in my mind for some good amount of time, I was watching American Lives 2 yesterday on PBS, a great document about African American roots, and this question about God came back to me.

I also say white God, but I realize I wanted to say a "White religion". I know that Christianity is all over the earth, but the missions were originally white, and imposed on people. In the case of African Americans, it seems that if it was imposed, they could have rejected it when they gained freedom.

There was a very interesting part in this documentary about gaining freedom. I learned that many slaves didn't "enjoy" freedom, since they now didn't have work, no money, etc. What I'm wondering is when this switch to the "white religion" came into place. At that time?

Maybe I sound a bit candid, and maybe you have good links or books to suggest.

I don't understand where you coming from with any of this. You're making a lot of incorrect generalisation for a whole heap of folks. You're making some incorrect generalisations about a religion as well. And why is this a black issue for you? What about other nonwhite races that are Christians? Is that OK for you? If so, why?

And I don't see what you mean about Blacks in Europe or in other countries would never worship a white religion? What black people are you talking about? Cause I certainly see loads of black Christians in Europe. Or do you think that many of them aren't descendants of slaves? How about in Central and South America? The Carribean? I hope you don't believe that only the US was impacted by slavery.

BTW, the spread of Christianity meant that it was forced upon "white" people, just as it was forced upon other races. It didn't start in Europe. It started among a Jewish sect in the Middle East and grew to become the largest religion in the world....mostly by violence.

I cringe when people (especially white people) start a sentence with "why do black people..." it almost always ends up with some condescending, ignorant and overreaching comment. This thread being no exception.

As Far as the "slaves " in the USA are involved I think part of an answer may lay in the situations the slaves were kept in...in most cases they were not educated or allowed to be educated so the minimal contact they were allowed was "church" and Bible readings....the few that were allowed to learn first learned by reading Bible passages....many "lessons" are sprinkled in the Bible.....some practical and some philosophical....but all were related to the "teachings of Jesus"...so I don't find it difficult to see how easily that situation transferred into an "acceptance of the white church"...it was one of the few outlets allowed to them from the daily workTypically even the hardest masters were "Christians" who allowed the slaves to sing "bible songs" and have services with a minister...BTW there were other "slaves" in America, the indentured servants of the colonists were essentially "sold" to their masters...many Native Americans (Indians) were used as "slaves" in the early West..either sold to Ranchers or "kept" in reservations...and of course the Explorers from England,France, Italy and Portugal were not above taking a few locals as "slaves" for various purposes......usually as some sort of forced labor.. interesting to note that when the Explorers traveled to these various parts they always had a "priest" with them and usually claimed the "land and people" in the name of the church/King ( who ruled by Divine Right)

I don't understand the question. I believe in a God or a Higher Power but religion is right up there with politics for me right now. I have seen too many "church people" backstab during the week and try to make up for it by kissing as on Sunday. If your a God fearing person shouldn't it be 24/7?

My first thought was that religion and faith is passed down from generation to generation. The rituals and beliefs can be comforting and reassuring for some and based on that notion slaves who have been raised christian would continue with their religious practices.

Another thought. Back in those times Christianity was a huge part of American society. If you didn't attend church or appear to be a "proper" christian you would likely have trouble.

My, my, my....I'm not sure where this is going either honestly. Religion, no matter which one you follow shouldn't be a matter of race but a person's faith. I don't think any particular religion is the perfect one but it is a matter of what works for the individual. But I have to ask, what is the fascination in Blacks following Christianity? I am half black but follow a Wiccan or Pagan path. Not that anyone cares but just saying....LMAO@Cliff.....

Is it just me or Cliff's Jesus looks a little pissed off? What? Jesus is Dominican? Then it is not Jesus but Heysus....LMAO....And yep, Winiroo, it is black history month...Figures the blacks would get the shortest month of the year even though it is a leap year....

Is it just me or Cliff's Jesus looks a little pissed off? What? Jesus is Dominican? Then it is not Jesus but Heysus....LMAO....And yep, Winiroo, it is black history month...Figures the blacks would get the shortest month of the year even though it is a leap year....

When a thread talks about religion and race, you can expect everything, but I know that the majority of people on here try to step back, relax, and look at the original question without automatically thinking that I'm a racist or that I despise religion. This is also why i'm asking here, and not in black or religious forums and I would like to have a melting pot of answers to guide me, rather than just going to the church and ask there.

"why do blacks" I ask? Because that's the topic I'm interested in. I'm not asking why do whites try to dance like blacks, this is another topic, maybe.

I think Queen may have said in a very short sentence what i'm trying to ask: what is the fascination in Blacks following Christianity, and I'm asking specifically about African Americans because of the specific background, the slavery in the US of A. I know there are very faithful black christians all over Africa and around the world, but this is not the question.

Maybe some of you think the question shouldn't even be asked because the answer is obvious, some of you are "baffled" that I even ask. Well I'm sorry but I do not know the answer to the question, and I'm really seriously asking.

I saw a number of responses saying that the color of the Christ doesn't matter. I agree, but what makes someone follow this particular religion, when it was imposed on him or her, and particularly at a very difficult time? That's what baffles me and I've never really understood.

Milker, I believe you have to look a LOT further back into history to answer your questions.

As I'm sure you know from church or from your Western Civilization classes in school, Chrisitianity is a religion that developed in Africa -- specifically, in the Jerusalem area of the Palestine province in the northern part of the African continent, approximately two thousand years ago. The religion was originally a faith of the lost and the downtrodden. It was a religion of fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, and lepers. The founder (Jesus) compared the "kingdom of God" to a feast or banquet, which was attended by beggars, losers, and homeless people. In fact, in Jesus' parables, a rich man (God) threw a big feast, and he sent his messengers all around the countryside, beating the bushes and inviting EVERYONE to his banquet.

The early Christians described their new religion as being holy and "catholic". Catholic is a word that means "universal" -- open to everyone, regardless of their race or ethnic background. The New Testament tells us that the early Christians included Jewish people, Roman citizens, and Ethopians. Some of the Christians were slaves, while others were free. They were of different nationalities, spoke different languages, and were from a variety of different cultures. They had one thing in common -- their belief that a certain Middle Eastern man (Jesus) was the son of God. Their goal (which they stated several times in the letters of the apostles) was to spread their message throughout the whole world, so that all the inhibitants of the earth would hear about this "kingdom of God".

This modern concept of Christianity being a "white man's religion" would have undoubtedly shocked and horrified the early Christians -- none of whom were very "white". In fact, this whole business about a "white man's God" and a "Black man's God" is exactly what Chrisitianity was trying to get AWAY from.

When Christianity eventually found its way into mainstream Europe (and later into mainstream America), I suppose it became more of a "suburban white religion" and less of the renegade faith that it started out being. But that is a gross generalization that has never held entirely true in the USA. If you've ever studied the civil rights movement in the Southern part of the United States, you will see that priests and nuns were often at the forefront of registering Blacks to vote and helping Blacks to become integrated into all-white schools and universities.

In the biography of Malcolm X, he raises the same question that you have raised in this post: why do YOU, as a Black man, want to belong to a religion that worships a blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus?

Other leaders from that same time frame (the 1950s and 1960s) offered a completely different message: why do you, as a Black man, want to return to a more segregated religion (Islam) instead of helping to reform the faith (Christianity) that was originally intended to be an integrated, all-inclusive religion?

Even then, in the 1950s and 1960s, there was a "religious right" and a "religious left" in the Christian USA. On the extreme right, there were people of faith who wanted to keep their schools and churches and voting booths completely segregated. On the left, there were people of faith who dedicated their lives to integrating schools and churches and voting booths, because that is the way they envisioned Christianity and, therefore, society in general.

Throughout the modern age, there have been Black people and White people who have tried to keep Christianity "catholic" and inclusive -- and there have been others who have tried to keep it segregated. I believe that the Ku Klux Klan sprang from the Christian church. So did Martin Luther King, Jr. Polar opposites, with completely different messages.

A while back, I was reading a sociology book written by Father Andrew Greely, a novelist who penned several bestsellers in the 1980s and 1990s. Greely pointed out that in the Catholic church (the area of Christianity with which he's most familiar), comings and goings in the church can be a matter of social change as much as religious change. He feels that in America, second and third generation immigrants tend to work their way AWAY from the Catholic church, to become more "protestant" (and therefore, more "white" in the perception of their neighbors.) He feels that Blacks sometimes unite with the Catholic church in order to become more integrated into a colorblind community of faith than they might otherwise encounter in the Missionary Baptist churches, the Colored Methodist-Episcopal churches, or the Church of God in Christ. He says that this is a very complex issue that can't easily be explained without closely studying the family background, financial status, and other socio-economic issues of a person who changes religion.

All of this is to say that your question is very complex, and probably can't be answered very easily on a message board, and the answer has to consider literally 2000 years of social and religious history in Africa, Europe, and the United States. There are people who have spent their whole lives studying religion, race, and economics, and not many of them would agree on why a certain person chooses a certain religion.

I'm sure this ain't much help, but I hope it sheds a little bit of light on the subject, and I hope that you've found a blow-job ninja.

LMFAO when I saw this: ""why do blacks" I ask? Because that's the topic I'm interested in. I'm not asking why do whites try to dance like blacks, this is another topic, maybe."

It's good to see you have a sense of humor. And I don't think you are being racist. Let me give you an example of how I was suckered into Christianity. And even though I am half Puerto Rican, I was raised as and mostly around blacks. My family belonged to the local baptist church here. I was raised to go to it faithfully every Sunday, sang in the choir and followed Bible Study every week. But I went to Catholic schools. Talk about extremes. As I got older and started taking religion a bit more seriously, my family church and many other black church began to piss me off. Why? Because it became more of a gossip mill and less of a church. Sprinkle a few smuts in the congregation but the biggest whore ended up being the damn pastor. That did it for me. Then I turned my attention to the Catholic religion, went through all their rituals, prayers, and confessions. I had issues with a few of their teachings and I felt that confession was a bunch of bull to say the least. But I always thought their paintings and statues were cool.. For a moment I felt kind of lost because I am not a believer of Darwin. I started doing some reading here and there from Scientology to Wiccan. And even with that, I do not call myself Wiccan per se but Pagan or more specific an eclectic Pagan. I incorporate a few Pagan religions into my lifestyle, not just one. And after shaking down the family tree a bit, I found out there were other family members that followed a Pagan path as well.

So, there ya go. I hope, insightful view, if not, a good story at least, from a half black and half puerto rican female....

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for your post, very insightful, very interesting. This gives me much to study and learn.

Queen, your experience is also very interesting. I'm not sure about the paintings and statues being cool but that made me laugh I am glad you took this thread seriously and answered with your heart. Thank you so much too.

look at the original question without automatically thinking that I'm a racist or that I despise religion.

No one accused you of being racist or hating religion in this thread. Perhaps you should step back and read the responses without automatically assuming that because some find it silly, generalizing or even offensive, that you must be racist or hate God.

"why do blacks" I ask? Because that's the topic I'm interested in. I'm not asking why do whites try to dance like blacks, this is another topic, maybe.

Milker, why exactly are you seriously interested in this topic? Perhaps if you explain that, more people will take it seriously. And what research have you done on this topic, prior to asking in the forum?

I think Queen may have said in a very short sentence what i'm trying to ask: what is the fascination in Blacks following Christianity, and I'm asking specifically about African Americans because of the specific background, the slavery in the US of A. I know there are very faithful black christians all over Africa and around the world, but this is not the question.

Why is that not the question? If this was a serious topic for you, it seems like that would be logical extension of the question. Plus your original thread says this on the matter…

[I cannot understand how, people that have been subject to so much humiliation by the white people, follow the white people's God. This is unique to the United States.In Europe, and I think in other countries, correct me if I'm wrong, no black person that was submitted to such humiliation worships the white person's God.] Please explain this comment...

I saw a number of responses saying that the color of the Christ doesn't matter. I agree, but what makes someone follow this particular religion, when it was imposed on him or her, and particularly at a very difficult time? That's what baffles me and I've never really understood.

Religion is imposed on everyone, Milker. No one is given a choice, regardless of race or religion and regardless of the historical context that the religion was brought into the community (ages ago). People are forced to follow their parent's God, until they are old enough to make their own choices...and most will continue down that path. And some, like the Queen, will follow a radically different path (or no path at all). If people should reject a religion because it was forced upon their ancestors, then you should question why doesn't most of the world reject Christianity (or Islam). It (they) didn't spread all over the world by throwing fabulous tea parties.

Queen, your experience is also very interesting. I'm not sure about the paintings and statues being cool but that made me laugh I am glad you took this thread seriously and answered with your heart. Thank you so much too.Milker.

Well, sweetie, all I can offer is my experience considering I have never took up theology, is it? The reason I say the paintings and statues were cool because there is a church here called St. Patrick's (I attended the grade school) and the statues kind of looked like they came out of the wall and so very life like. And I thought my experience was pertaining to your question, honestly....*pouts* I wanted to give you at least one black perspective, well, ok, half...

*winks@Cliff*....First time someone has called me radical, not that I mind but I do dare to be different, that's for sure.